On 24 February 2014 Will entered this world, a little brother to Bertie, and our dream family of two boys was complete.  

Just 8 days later on 4 March 2014 we rushed Will back to Frimley, when he stopped breathing.   What happened next is hazy but we do recall an A&E consultant climbing on to Will's bed and giving him CPR to keep him alive.   

Will had to be resuscitated several times during that very long night.  

We were told to expect the worst and that if Will did pull through that he would likely face many challenges in life.  

We vowed to make Will's life as comfortable as possible and over the next few days Will's condition gradually improved.  

Unfortunately scans of Will's brain showed than he had suffered quite significant brain damage.   There was some light though in that we were advised that there is very little research available on such young brains and their ability to "rewire" themselves. 

Over the next year Will had numerous hospital visits as the amazing medical staff sought to identify what had caused Will's illness.   Ultimately they were never able to identify a cause.  

When Will was finally discharged at 18 months, having developed "normally", we were advised that we would not know until he was aged 5 or 6 whether he would suffer ongoing cognitive or learning difficulties as a result of the damage caused to his brain. 

On marathon day Will will be aged 7.  We are so very fortunate that he is a healthy, athletic, fiercely competitive, funny little boy.  

We are very lucky that our story has a happy ending.

I am running the marathon to raise funds for the special care baby unit that saved Will's life.  To help give children and families that might find themselves in a similar position a little bit more hope. 

Thank you for reading Will's story!